George Mason in the News

Posted: April 29, 2005 at 1:00 am, Last Updated: November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

Following are highlights of national news coverage George Mason received in the past week:

Friday, April 22, the Washington Post

Lawmaker Decries GMU Health Fair, ‘Moral Depravity’

“Campus officials defended Sextravaganza—set for Monday afternoon in the university’s Johnson Center—as a positive event that will explore issues of safe sex, date rape and sexual health. It will feature presentations on emergency contraception, abstinence and free AIDS tests. Students will also be able to taste such alleged aphrodisiacs as chocolate and strawberries. ‘The name sounds a little lurid,’ said J. Thomas Hennessey Jr., the university president’s chief of staff. ‘But the bottom line is the students wanted to have something to create a dialogue about the positive part of sex and the pain. That’s why it’s billed as “the pain and pleasure of sex.” Students need to be exposed to the realities of sexually transmitted diseases and the risk.’”

Monday, April 25, the Washington Times

Primary vote likely to limit ‘crossovers’

“‘The voter who wants a ‘D’ for one office and an ‘R’ for the other is going to be left out,’ said Mark J. Rozell, a professor of public policy at George Mason University. ‘If the motivation was to limit crossover, this was probably the best way to do it.’ For example, a moderate Republican might attract some Democratic voters in a regular primary, but will not get those votes this year because the Democrats have their own races to worry about. Mr. Rozell agreed, noting the ‘core activists’ will be the ones casting votes. ‘These are low turnout events to begin with,’ he said.”

“A new ‘global competition for talent’ poses the greatest threat to the United States since the Industrial Revolution, argues Richard Florida, the Hirst Professor at George Mason University’s School of Public Policy. In The Flight of the Creative Class, a follow-up to his provocative bestseller The Rise of the Creative Class, Florida asserts that, contrary to popular speculation, the main competitive threats to the United States are not posed by India and China. ‘Our country—for generations known around the world as the land of opportunity and innovation—may well be on the verge of losing its creative competitive edge,’ he writes.”

Wednesday, April 27, (West Virginia) Bowling Green News

Minorities Struggle to Graduate on Time

“That has everything to do with the university itself—academic advising, feeling part of the institution, feeling like you’re part of the university community,” said Camille Hazeur, director of the Office of Diversity and Equity Services at George Mason University. ‘We know from the research that if students don’t feel a part of the community they have a greater chance of being distracted academically and subsequently flunking out.'”